Homemade Body Wash - Keep Scary Out Of Your Shower
Friday, September 23, 2011 
Our Homemade Lavender-Lemongrass Body WashWhat do you put on your body every day? By the time I’ve finished my morning routine I’ve used shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, toner, moisturizer and sunscreen for my face, and lotion for my body. Somehow, it took me close to a year before I started wondering what the heck was actually in those bottles in my shower. Isn't it odd that we’ve become so conscious of what we put inside our bodies, and somehow managed not to give any thought about what we were putting on them?
All of that changed a few weeks ago when a friend recommended The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database which rates products according to the chemicals they contain and how harmful they are. I searched the items in my bathroom and found that all of them except for what I put on my face (Alba Botanica and Kiss My Face) had a moderate to high hazard score. Scary!
I decided to replace some of the items in our routine with safer, natural products - preferably something homemade (well, yeah!). The first to run out was body wash. We had been using Dove's Go Fresh Bodywash which is a 5 on the 0-10 hazard rating system. I am a huge fan of a nice creamy bodywash and an exfoliating pouf and felt a tinge of dismay thinking about the future of my suds, sure that I would have to give up this little luxury for a bar of something filmy and a washcloth. Little did I know that I was about to make the best bodywash EVER. I’m serious.
I searched out different recipes and ingredients that would be good for my skin -not so easy when you have been fighting a lifelong battle against the frustrating combo of hypersensitive skin and acne. I went with an infusion of oats and rosemary to soothe and tone, coconut oil to moisturize because we had it in the house and it’s one of the few oils that doesn’t make me break out, and the essential oils of chamomile, lavender, and lemongrass for their properties and scent.
Scrapple and I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and will never go back! Actually, I think he'd use whatever I put in there, but at least I'd never go back! It smells amazing, produces a great lather, gets you clean, and actually leaves you moisturized. It’s an amazing shave gel for legs (not so sure how it would fare on Scrapple’s stubble) and Scrapple's been using it as shampoo (again, I think he'd use anything). I should also mention that this batch that made 24oz using all organic (and local where available) ingredients cost only $4.50 to make - half the price of the scary stuff! Here's the breakdown:
Give it a try! Swap out oils and infusion ingredients to make a recipe that’s perfect for your skin. This would be a fun project to try with kids too.
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1 Tbs steel cut oats (optional - to infuse)
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1 sprig of rosemary (optional - to infuse)
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1 c. water
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1 Tsp citric acid (to prevent bacterial growth in your bodywash)
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2 Tbs coconut oil (can swap out with olive, grapeseed, almond, jojoba, apricot kernel or any other oil)
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1 Tbsp honey
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1-1/2 c. liquid castile soap (I used Dr Bronner’s)
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1 tsp guar gum (you can find it in most markets that carry natural foods with the Bob’s Red Mill grains)
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30 drops essential oils (your preference - I used a blend of lavender, chamomile, and lemongrass)
1. Boil water in a kettle and once boiling pour over the oats and rosemary (or whatever you decide to infuse). Cover and let sit for an hour, then strain to remove oats and rosemary bits from your infusion.
2. In a bowl whisk your oil, honey, infusion, and citric acid together.
3. Sprinkle in the guar gum, whisking to combine, and then immediately afterward whisk in the castile soap (if you wait too long the guar gum will thicken and you’ll have clumps) until blended and smooth.
4. Drop in your essential oils and fold in with a spoon or spatula. Store the mixture in a bottle (opaque is best) out of direct sunlight and use within 6 months. Shake before each use.
Have some questions? Just ask in the comments section and I'll be happy to help you out!
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Next up will be body lotion - let me know if you have a great recipe you’d like to share or any other tips related to making your own body care products. I'm especially interested in eventually trying to make soaps from rendered animal fats (I don't think we're going to have an olive grove or coconut trees on the farm) and would love any info you might have on that as well!
That's all for now - keep it clean!
Reader Comments (18)
Can i substitute Tea tree oil for the citric acid, and emulsifying wax for the guar gum?
Just curious :)
Hi Leigha!
I think its pretty safe to give either or both a try!
I know that tea tree oil is a great antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal, but don't know how much you would need to use to have the same effect as the citric acid so you'd have to research that one a bit.
As far as using the emulsifying wax as a replacement for the guar gum, it would most likely work, but would completely change the end consistency of the bodywash. As the recipe stands, the guar gum gives the bodywash a thick creamy feel. I imagine that your end result would be much thinner and less silky (there isn't a ton of oil in this recipe to give you that without the guar).
Good luck :) Please let me know how it turns out!
So excited to try this, thanks! Would love to see the lotion recipe as well :)
This looks great - can't wait to try it out. I am also keen to get a community projects onto making things like this and it looks so easy. Also looks quite easy to have variations on the central theme with the oil bases and the essential oils too.
Great DIY and safe receipe. Have been going sulfate free and chemical free in all household products for a year but delayed giving up my beloved body wash. . Its amazing how
easy it is to go chemical free. Wondering what type of container you put yours in.
Alexis - The first time around I just rinsed out the plastic squeeze container that my old dove body wash was in and reused that! After awhile the flip lid started to fall off, so now I have it in a glass pump bottle (also repurposed from a Dr. Hauschka lotion).
Sue - You can totally play around with the oils! It would be easy to customize for your particular skin type with a base oil that you've already had a good experience with and change up the essential oils as well for either medicinal purposes or scent preference.
Let me know how it works out for you once you make a batch!
- Sweetbreads
Where might I find citric acid?
This looks great! I have really sensitive skin and a lanolin allergy, so I am always looking for something gentle to use on my skin!
Where did you get the citric acid at? Having a hard time finding it to buy in store, wanted to avoid buying it online if possible. Thanks!
I have some powdery citric acid for cheesemaking - is that the kind you use?
If so, I bought mine at a homebrew store.
I used this recipe, but used the baby mild castile soap. It does not lather. Is it because I used the baby mild. My husband says that he doesn't feel clean unless it lathers.
Debbie and Sarahbella: I used the citric acid powder I had on hand for cheesemaking. I bought mine online at New England Cheesemaking Supply, but I've heard that it can also be found in health stores. I would call first just to make sure!
Leah: I also used the scentless baby mild and have not had any issues with lathering yet. Are you using the wash solo, or with a puff, sponge or loofa? To create lots of lather, I use the wash with a bath puff but I'm sure a sponge, loofa, or washcloth would have the same effect. I would try whisking an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the liquid castille soap to the body wash you've made. It may also be the water used in the mixture - if your tap water is very hard, that could be the culprit. If you think that may be the case, try using some distilled water in the next batch. I hope it works out for you!
- Sweetbreads
I do live where there is very hard water. I will try the distilled next time. Thanks!
I was wondering what your thought are about using this on a baby? If I can use this soap for my whole family, than it would definitely make things easier! Thanks!
This looks intriguing! I'm trying to ween myself off of synthetic chemicals as much as possible, and this would fit the bill. The only difficulty is finding guar gum where I live. Could I substitute xanthan gum instead?
I am so excited to try this. I've made lots of homemade bath and body care and laundry detergents lately and love it. I too had trouble finding citric acid but finally found it online at swanson vitamins they also have essential oils too plus are cheeper than most other places i found online.
Hi. Where did you buy your Dr. Bonner's? $34/gallon is a great price and I can't seem to find anything comparable. Also, is it 1/2 cup of Dr. Bonner's per batch of body wash or is it 1 & 1/2 cups? Thank you for your time. I am excited to try this. I am still looking for guar gum? p.s. to the person looking for citric acid....I found some at Sprouts Grocery store (Mesa, AZ)
I can't use Dr. Bronner's or Kirk's. Is there a substitute? Also, I have VERY dry, SUPER-sensitive skin and I'm just starting to make my own personal care products. Are there specific herbs/oils you'd recommend for this recipe given that information? Thanks for posting this!